2008 Edition
CIA World Factbook 2008 (Project Gutenberg)
Introduction
Background
The exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear, since their language does not resemble any other in the Pacific. The island was annexed by Germany in 1888 and its phosphate deposits began to be mined early in the 20th century by a German-British consortium. Nauru was occupied by Australian forces in World War I and subsequently became a League of Nations mandate. After the Second World War - and a brutal occupation by Japan - Nauru became a UN trust territory. It achieved its independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999 as the world's smallest independent republic.
Geography
Area
total: 21 sq km land: 21 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative
about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Climate
tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February)
Coastline
30 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location along plateau rim 61 m
Environment - current issues
limited natural fresh water resources, roof storage tanks collect rainwater, but mostly dependent on a single, aging desalination plant; intensive phosphate mining during the past 90 years - mainly by a UK, Australia, and NZ consortium - has left the central 90% of Nauru a wasteland and threatens limited remaining land resources
Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geographic coordinates
0 32 S, 166 55 E
Geography - note
Nauru is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Makatea in French Polynesia; only 53 km south of Equator
Irrigated land
NA
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)
Location
Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands
Map references
Oceania
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Natural hazards
periodic droughts
Natural resources
phosphates, fish
Terrain
sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 35.5% (male 2,492/female 2,393) 15-64 years: 62.5% (male 4,237/female 4,363) 65 years and over: 2.1% (male 148/female 137) (2008 est.)
Birth rate
24.26 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate
6.54 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Education expenditures
NA
Ethnic groups
Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8%
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
NA
Infant mortality rate
total: 9.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 11.84 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Languages
Nauruan (official; a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 63.81 years male: 60.2 years female: 67.6 years (2008 est.)
Literacy
NA
Median age
total: 21.3 years male: 20.7 years female: 21.9 years (2008 est.)
Nationality
noun: Nauruan(s) adjective: Nauruan
Net migration rate
NA (2008 est.)
Population
13,770 (July 2008 est.)
Population growth rate
1.772% (2008 est.)
Religions
Nauru Congregational 35.4%, Roman Catholic 33.2%, Nauru Independent Church 10.4%, other 14.1%, none 4.5%, unspecified 2.4% (2002 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 8 years male: 8 years female: 9 years (2006)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.08 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.94 children born/woman (2008 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren
Capital
no official capital; government offices in Yaren District time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Constitution
29 January 1968; amended 17 May 1968 (Constitution Day)
Country name
conventional long form: Republic of Nauru conventional short form: Nauru local long form: Republic of Nauru local short form: Nauru former: Pleasant Island
Diplomatic representation from the US
the US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Marlene I. MOSES chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400 D, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 937-0074
Executive branch
chief of state: President Marcus STEPHEN (since 19 December 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
FAX
[1] (212) 937-0079 consulate(s): Agana (Guam)
Flag description
blue with a narrow, horizontal, yellow stripe across the center and a large white 12-pointed star below the stripe on the hoist side; the star indicates the country's location in relation to the Equator (the yellow stripe) and the 12 points symbolize the 12 original tribes of Nauru
Government type
republic
Independence
31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship)
International organization participation
ACP, ADB, C, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Legal system
acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Legislative branch
unicameral Parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 26 April 2008 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 18; note - President Marcus STEPHEN called a snap election to break a parliamentary stalemate blocking legislative action
National holiday
Independence Day, 31 January (1968)
Political parties and leaders
Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru Party (informal); Nauru First (Naoero Amo) Party; note - loose multiparty system
Political pressure groups and leaders
Woman Information and News Agency (women's issues)
Suffrage
20 years of age; universal and compulsory
Economy
Agriculture - products
coconuts
Budget
revenues: $13.5 million expenditures: $13.5 million (2005)
Currency (code)
Australian dollar (AUD)
Currency code
AUD
Debt - external
$33.3 million (2002)
Economic aid - recipient
$20 million mostly from Australia (2005)
Economy - overview
Revenues of this tiny island have traditionally come from exports of phosphates, now significantly depleted. An Australian company in 2005 entered into an agreement intended to exploit remaining supplies. Few other resources exist with most necessities being imported, mainly from Australia, its former occupier and later major source of support. The rehabilitation of mined land and the replacement of income from phosphates are serious long-term problems. In anticipation of the exhaustion of Nauru's phosphate deposits, substantial amounts of phosphate income were invested in trust funds to help cushion the transition and provide for Nauru's economic future. As a result of heavy spending from the trust funds, the government faces virtual bankruptcy. To cut costs the government has frozen wages and reduced overstaffed public service departments. In 2005, the deterioration in housing, hospitals, and other capital plant continued, and the cost to Australia of keeping the government and economy afloat continued to climb. Few comprehensive statistics on the Nauru economy exist, with estimates of Nauru's GDP varying widely.
Electricity - consumption
28.83 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production
31 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Exchange rates
Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003)
Exports
$64,000 f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities
phosphates
Exports - partners
South Africa 63.7%, South Korea 7.6%, Canada 6.6% (2006)
Fiscal year
1 July - 30 June
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$5,000 (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
NA%
GDP (official exchange rate)
$NA
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$60 million (2005 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports
$20 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities
food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery
Imports - partners
South Korea 43.8%, Australia 36.2%, US 5.9%, Germany 4.3% (2006)
Industrial production growth rate
NA%
Industries
phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
-3.6% (1993)
Labor force - by occupation
note: employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation (1992)
Natural gas - consumption
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - production
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Oil - consumption
1,070 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports
0 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports
1,049 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - production
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - proved reserves
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Unemployment rate
90% (2004 est.)
Communications
Internet country code
.nr
Internet hosts
42 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
1 (2000)
Internet users
300 (2002)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios
7,000 (1997)
Telephone system
general assessment: adequate local and international radiotelephone communication provided via Australian facilities domestic: NA international: country code - 674; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use
1,900 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular
1,500 (2002)
Television broadcast stations
1 (1997)
Televisions
500 (1997)
Transportation
Airports
1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Ports and terminals
Nauru
Roadways
total: 24 km paved: 24 km (2002)
Military and Security
Manpower available for military service
males age 16-49: 3,470 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually
male: 173 female: 159 (2008 est.)
Military - note
Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia
Military branches
no regular military forces; Nauru Police Force (2008)
Military expenditures
NA
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
none This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008